There Goes the Neighborhood

Block by block, Chicago is changing. But is it for the better?

by WBEZ

Dec. 15, 2014

A decade ago many Chicago neighborhoods were undergoing massive transformations. Condos were replacing old factories, new homes were springing up in abandoned railyards, the city was tearing down public housing to make way for mixed-income communities. Entire neighborhoods were turning around, while others were being targeted for speculation by investors trying to predict the next gentrification hot spots.

Then came the housing crash and the Great Recession. The gap between affluent and poor neighborhoods grew while the number of middle-class neighborhoods diminished. Now, as Chicago's economy claws its way back from the recession, many neighborhoods in the midst of recovery are improving but not technically gentrifying. By focusing our fears on that bogeyman are we ignoring the poverty and disinvestment that continues to plague other areas of the city?

As the housing market heats up in Chicago’s Albany Park neighborhood, one community group is looking for creative ways to curb the displacement of low-income residents.

Where is gentrification in Chicago?

To calculate its gentrification index, UIC researchers classified each Chicago community area by 13 socioeconomic factors. A point was added if the area was above the city average and subtracted if it was below. Change the map to see how areas compared in 2010 and how they've changed since 1970.

2010 Socioeconomic factors-13 to -7-6 to 001 to 67+

This map shows how community areas compared in the UIC index in 2010. Scroll down to see the data UIC used to make its index.